


This love of mine

by justhockey



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Coming Out, Domestic Fluff, Eddie Diaz Can't Cook (9-1-1 TV), Established Relationship, Firehouse 118 Crew as Family (9-1-1 TV), Happy Ending, M/M, No Angst, Secret Relationship, Soft Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-18 01:22:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29726190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justhockey/pseuds/justhockey
Summary: Because the fancy dates and big moments are great, of course, but it’s the simple things too. It’s the fact that they always laugh while they’re doing laundry together, and the way Eddie lets him sneak snacks into the shopping cart if Buck kisses his cheek first, and how they hold hands while they’re driving.It’s just every little thing about their life, that makes loving each other so special.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Comments: 58
Kudos: 681





	This love of mine

**Author's Note:**

> Title from _And I Love Her_ by The Beatles.

Time has been crawling today, moving so slowly that their twelve hour shift is starting to feel more like a twenty-four hour one. And it should be a nice change of pace, after how chaotic the last few months have been, but it’s actually just draining. 

They’ve only had a couple of calls, like the toddler who got a toilet seat stuck on his head, a snake trapped in a vacuum cleaner, and an exploding microwave. And Buck isn’t about to use the Q-word or anything - he’s already cursed them like that once before - but he’s kind of bored. 

It helps that he’s on shift with Eddie, because the rare shifts where they’re apart are just hell. But on days like these, at least he’s got Eddie to talk to, and annoy, and look at. Which are basically all his favourite things to do, anyway. So. Things could definitely be worse. 

When they first started actually dating - and not just having those weird conversations filled with sexual tension, and longing glances, and dates that weren’t dates - they were kind of worried. They’re professional of course, and they absolutely sat down and had _The Talk_ ™ about how their relationship couldn’t ever affect how they do their job. 

But the thing is, they’re kind of obsessed with each other. Like, in the best way possible, of course. It’s just, they spent so long wanting each other and thinking it was never possible, that now they _have_ each other, well - they just always want to be around each other. And Buck thought it would get old eventually, but it’s been months now and Buck can’t remember the last time he slept at the loft. 

He’d thought that Eddie would get bored of him always being around sooner rather than later, but the day hasn’t come yet. And Eddie is _so_ good with understanding Buck’s insecurities, making sure he knows that Eddie and Chris always him around, so. 

They’re kind of gone for each other, is the point. The ridiculously soft, totally in love, kind of thing. And they’d worried that it would be weird at work, that Hen and Chim would just tease them relentlessly for it. But the thing is - they haven’t said a word. Not when Buck and Eddie arrive _and_ leave together every shift, or when they sit too close, or they touch too often, or when Buck takes a nap with his head in Eddie’s lap. 

Buck was definitely surprised by their maturity, but not unappreciative, so he and Eddie elected to just never mention it.

So no one questions it when Buck comes and sits down at the table with two mugs of coffee, and slides one over to where Eddie is sitting. He’s scribbling on a piece of paper, but as soon as he sees his favourite mug - the one where the handle is a rainbow - he looks up. Eddie gives him that soft little smile Buck is fairly certain is reserved just for him, and he doesn’t blush because he’s not twelve years old, but he does grin back, all proud and golden-retriever like. 

“Thanks,” Eddie says. 

“You’re welcome,” Buck replies.

Then Eddie goes back to whatever he’s writing, and he’s got a wrinkle in between his eyebrows which means he’s thinking too hard. So Buck stretches his leg out beneath the table, and hooks his ankle around Eddie’s. And it makes Buck’s heart melt a little bit, when the frown on Eddie’s face is immediately replaced with a smile, even though he doesn’t look up. 

Hen is flicking through a med school book like she’d rather scoop out her own eyeballs, Chim is reading a baby book with a vague expression of horror on his face, and it’s entirely too quiet for Buck. So he’s about to put in his earphones and listen to a podcast while there’s nothing better to do, but then Eddie nudges his ankle. 

“Did Chris prefer the - like - spirally pasta? Or the bow one?” Eddie asks, frowning again. 

Buck can’t help the chuckle that escapes his lips, because of course Eddie is stressing out over their grocery list. And, honestly, he’s not exactly surprised that Eddie is doing it without him this time, because last time he let Buck write the grocery list, well. Let’s just say, Buck understands Eddie’s decisions. 

“The spiral one,” Buck recalls. “He said you didn’t cook the bow one long enough so the middle was too crunchy.”

Buck is smirking and Eddie gives him the _look,_ you know, the ‘why do I love you’ kind of look. It just makes Buck smile wider until Eddie caves, and he tries to suppress it but Buck can see the way the corners of his lips curve upwards. 

“Al dente,” Hen says, seemingly grateful to be thinking about literally anything other than her upcoming mid-term. 

“What?” 

“That’s what it’s called, when pasta is still firm,” she clarifies. 

Eddie makes a considering face, mouths the words _al dente_ a couple of times and then nods. “I’ll tell Chris that next time he complains.”

They laugh then, even Chim, who had clearly just been pretending to read the book because he’d promised Maddie he would. Although, Buck has no idea why because Maddie didn’t even _ask_ him to read it. They’ve just decided to leave him and his nesting to it though, it’s safer for everyone involved. 

“You should get Buck to teach you,” Chim suggests to Eddie. “He’s no Bobby, but he’s pretty good.”

Buck practically beams at the compliment. Because he definitely isn’t anywhere near as good as Bobby yet, but as his protégé he thinks he’s doing pretty well, if Buck does say so himself. And also, compliments from Chim are like gold dust. 

“Oh I’ve _tried,_ ” Buck says. “Eddie just struggles with any cooking that involves more than two steps.”

Eddie gives him another look but Buck just winks teasingly at him. Buck _is_ the cook in their house - or, not _their_ house, because he hasn’t officially moved in yet - but Eddie is getting better. His food is mostly edible now, at least. Except for that casserole he tried to make last week which was - yeah. He doesn’t blame Christopher for spitting it back out. 

Hen and Chim both roll their eyes fondly at them. They’re used to it by now, have been for years really, because they’ve kind of always been like this - teasing, and winding each other up, and okay, maybe flirting. 

“Cereal?” Eddie asks, quickly changing the topic. 

“Reese’s puffs?” Buck tries, even though he knows the answer before he’s even finished speaking. 

Eddie sighs, and he sounds so exasperated that Buck has to laugh. Buck just shrugs his shoulders and sips his coffee, and doesn’t make eye contact as he kicks Eddie lightly under the table. 

“You asked,” Buck tells him. 

“You’re just trying to make sure you’re Christopher’s favourite,” Eddie complains. 

And Buck grins at that. “I’m _already_ Chris’ favourite,” he insists. 

Hen is watching them kind of strangely, like she’s trying to figure something out. She glances at Chim and raises her eyebrows, and then they’re doing that thing that Buck and Eddie do sometimes, where they communicate only through looks and no one else can figure out what they mean. 

So Buck chooses to ignore them in favour of annoying Eddie some more, because he’ll never understand Hen and Chim’s weird bestie telepathy. 

“Gushers too,” Buck suggests. “Oh and no mushrooms, there’s still some in the fridge.”

Eddie rolls his eyes at the first suggestion and definitely doesn’t write it down, but he crosses something off the list that Buck assumes is mushrooms, so. He’s good for something, at least, even if Eddie never lets him get what he wants. It’s not Buck’s fault that Eddie always gets the boring, healthy stuff though - really, he shouldn’t be surprised that Christopher loves Buck better. 

And it’s moments like these - writing a grocery list, or picking a movie, or cooking dinner - that make Buck step back and just take a second, sometimes. It’s the smallest, most mundane tasks that make him think about just how lucky he is to have this life; how fortunate he is to have Eddie, and Christopher, and their little family. 

Because the fancy dates and big moments are great, of course, but it’s the simple things too. It’s the fact that they always laugh while they’re doing laundry together, and the way Eddie lets him sneak snacks into the shopping cart if Buck kisses his cheek first, and how they hold hands while they’re driving. 

It’s just every little thing about their life, that makes loving each other so special. 

“Oat milk or almond milk?”

Buck thinks for a second, then answers, “Oat please.”

Chim finally puts the baby book down that he wasn’t reading anyway, and he leans forward in his seat. Hen does the same thing, but she shoves her text book away with an unnecessary level of force. Both of them look between Buck and Eddie with amused expressions in their faces. 

“Eddie, you don’t drink oat milk,” Chim declares. 

Eddie just frowns, and gestures to Buck with the hand that his pen is clutched in. “Yeah, but Buck does?”

Hen snorts then, and Chim is shaking his head and laughing too. Buck and Eddie both watch them, and Buck raises a single, questioning eyebrow. Hen rolls her eyes like whatever they’re laughing about is the most obvious thing in the world. 

“Oh come on, you get the milk he drinks even though you don’t touch the stuff? You’re like an old married couple,” Hen teases. 

Buck is about to open his mouth when Bobby appears at the top of the stairs. He’s been in meetings all morning about some bureaucratic bullshit that Buck doesn’t care for, and he looks frustrated. So Buck smiles and waves at him, but he doesn’t have a chance to say anything before Chim is accosting him. 

“Cap, don’t Eddie and Buck act like a married couple?”

Bobby chuckles as he takes a seat at the table, but he shrugs his shoulders and declines to comment. 

“We’re not married _yet,_ ” Buck corrects. “Eddie still hasn’t popped the question.”

It’s obviously just a joke, because while Buck loves Eddie with every single part of himself, and for some reason Eddie loves him right back, they’re definitely not _there_ yet. But then Chim is spluttering and Hen’s eyes are wide, and they’re both looking at Buck like he’s kicked their puppy or something. 

He glances to Eddie, but he gives him a _‘don’t ask me’_ kind of look, so clearly neither of them know quite what’s going on. 

“What?” Buck asks them. 

Because, seriously, would it be that big of a deal if they _did_ get married? Like they’ve talked about it, and it’s something they both want in the future, of course. And it’s kind of what most people do when they love each other and want to spend their lives together, so Buck doesn’t see where the shock is coming from. 

He has a brief, painful worry that they don’t think he’s good enough for Eddie. That Buck, with his baggage, and trauma, and capital _I_ Issues, isn’t a good match for Eddie and Christopher, who need stability - someone they can count on. 

“ _Yet?_ ” Hen asks. “As in, not right now but maybe in the future?”

Buck looks over to Eddie again, because he’s kind of feeling a little overwhelmed at their surprise. And Eddie can clearly tell, because he presses his ankle into Buck’s and he’s frowning when he says, “Yeah, what’s wrong with that?”

Chim sounds kind of hysterical when he asks, “Sorry, did we _miss_ the part where you started dating?”

And, wait - _what?_ This, like, has to be a joke. Right? 

Eddie looks as confused as Buck is feeling, and when Buck shifts in his seat to look at Bobby, their captain is also looking kind of bewildered. 

“We’ve been dating for _months,_ ” Eddie explains. 

“You’ve been _what_ now?” Hen demands. 

Everything feels surreal as they all look between in each other in shock. Because they come to work and go home together, Eddie is always accidentally wearing Buck’s clothes, they _nap_ on each other, for gods sake. And sure, they’ve made sure to keep it toned down and professional, but it sure as hell was never a secret. 

“Eddie and Christopher are literally my wallpaper,” Buck says, holding his phone up so they can see the very adorable picture of Chris sleeping on Eddie’s chest. 

“You’ve always been weird about each other!” Hen insists. 

And Buck can’t stop himself from laughing, because the situation is so utterly ridiculous. When he catches Eddie’s eye it sets him off too, and then they’re both laughing at the the looks of complete astonishment on Chim and Hen’s faces. 

But as they’re laughing, Buck remembers something. “Chim, Maddie literally told you we’re dating?”

He remembers because she’d asked them both a thousand times if they were sure it was okay for her to tell him. She hadn’t wanted to overstep their boundaries or out them and their relationship before they were ready for people to know. And Buck and Eddie had both promised that it was fine, that they were happy for people to know. 

So Maddie had told Chim, and they just assumed he’d told Hen because he tells her everything. And they figured they weren’t say anything about it to be respectful, or whatever. But maybe looking back, Hen and Chim not teasing them maybe should have been a warning sign. 

“ _I thought she was joking!_ ” He chokes.

Hen turns to him with a frown on her face and smacks his arm. “You _knew?_ ”

“Cap, did _you_ know?” Chim asks, looking more than a little distressed. It’s quite amusing, if Buck is being honest. 

Bobby laughs at them like they’re idiots. “Yeah? They had to sign some paperwork about it. I thought everyone knew?”

“So did we,” Buck and Eddie both say in complete unison. 

Hen and Chim immediately look at each other, say, “Oh my god,” and then burst out laughing. Like, clutching their sides, tears rolling down their face kind of laughter. And Buck, Eddie, and Cap join in too, because how could they not?

They’d been so successful at remaining professional, that they’d accidentally hidden their relationship for the past few months. That’s objectively hilarious, no matter how you look at it. And Buck is more than a little relieved that this wasn’t because they thought he wasn’t good enough for Eddie. So it’s okay to laugh now, with his legs tangled with Eddie’s and surrounded by people who love and support him no matter what. 

“It’s about damn time,” Hen says breathlessly, when they’ve all finally stopped laughing. 

“Yeah, we’ve been waiting for this to happen since day one,” Chim adds. 

Buck looks at Eddie as he remembers that first day, their encounter in the gym when Buck was jealous, and resentful, and yes, very turned on as well. But Buck was a very different person back then, okay? So it’s not his fault that he couldn’t sort through his feelings properly. 

He can feel his cheeks flush now, as Eddie smiles at him. And Buck knows that he’s remembering it too - is remembering all of the moments that lead up to their first kiss, when Eddie had finally gotten so tired of tiptoeing around this thing growing between them that he just laid one on Buck while he was in the middle of cooking dinner. 

It sends Buck reeling, when he thinks about it. The way Eddie had just grabbed his face and pinned him to the kitchen counters as they kissed. And the stir fry Buck was making burned, but he didn’t really care when Eddie was pressing kisses and whispering _‘I love you’_ against the column of his throat. 

“Oh my god,” Hen says again, startling Buck out of his memory. “You two are _so_ obvious, how didn’t we notice?”

“We weren’t even doing anything!” Buck exclaims. 

Chim rolls his eyes and leans over to shove his shoulder playfully. “Dude, you’re looking at each other like you _both_ wanna buy a ring.”

Eddie is blushing as well now, so Buck feels a little less exposed. 

And later, when their shift is finally over and it’s time to go home, Eddie pulls Buck close. He winds his arms around Buck’s waist and leans forward, kissing him so sweetly that it makes Buck’s knees feel kind of weak. Buck melts. And once he’s smiling so big it can hardly be considered a kiss anymore, Eddie kisses the corner of his mouth instead, and then his cheek, then the shell of is ear. 

And then he whispers, “I’m the one who’s gonna buy a ring.”

Buck feels all gooey and soft and maybe like he wants to cry, so he goes in to kiss Eddie again. But -

“Oh my _god!_ ”

“Get a room!”

Eddie kisses Buck anyway, just to prove a point. 

“Just making sure there are no crossed wires,” he shouts over his shoulder at Hen and Chim. 

And then he takes Buck’s hand in his, presses another kiss to his cheek, and they go home. Together.

**Author's Note:**

> love you :)


End file.
